Fire hits Cedar Rapids apartment complex

Six dryer units were damaged in an early-morning fire at a Cedar Rapids apartment complex, authorities said.

Firefighters went to the Gateway Gardens apartment building at 2981 Sixth St. SW around 4:15 a.m. when a smell of smoke was reported. The first crews who arrived found flames extending from a dryer to the ceiling in the laundry room.

Greg Buelow, a spokesman for the Fire Department, said crews used about 25 gallons of water to put out the fire. No one was injured.

Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the fire, Buelow said.

“It would be unusual in this case to have spontaneous combustion, but that's what we need to have an investigator take a look at,” Buelow said.

This most recent fire at Gateway Gardens comes about 11 months after a two-alarm blaze left 14 people displaced. The April 7, 2009 fire consumed the roof of the building at 3131 Sixth St. SW.